Changes to Background Check Processes for Child Welfare
Dear Child Welfare Providers,
The COVID-19 pandemic has slowed or closed many of our contracted electronic fingerprint vendor and local law enforcement agencies. This is preventing or significantly delaying our providers from completing the required fingerprint-based background check.
Effective immediately, the Department of Children, Youth, and Families' (DCYF) administrative review and background check teams are implementing the following changes so the department can reduce turnaround times, safely remove barriers and effectively assess individuals who may provide care to children:
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Allow individuals who pass an in-state background check to have unsupervised access while fingerprints are pending.
All DCYF background check applicants who require fingerprints can be conditionally approved for the purpose of the background check if they pass an in-state name and date-of-birth background check. Fingerprints are still required and the DCYF background check team will track this work moving forward.
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Implement the new Secretary’s List of Crimes and Negative Actions for child welfare applicants.
Removes crimes that do not relate directly to child safety, permanence or well-being while considering disproportionate impacts on individuals with criminal history.
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Eliminate duplicative fingerprint-based background checks.
DCYF background check staff will use previous fingerprint results, when available, for new background checks requiring fingerprints, and complete new in-state background check for any new criminal or negative action history.
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Discontinue secondary assessments of individuals who pass the background check and have criminal or negative action history.
DCYF caseworkers, contracts managers, foster care licensors and home study specialists will not perform secondary assessments when an individual with criminal or negative action history passed the background check.
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Prioritize administrative reviews for relative placements.
DCYF staff will prioritize these assessments so children can remain connected to family or suitable others when placed out-of-home.
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Streamline the administrative review process for all child welfare purposes.
DCYF staff will use previously completed administrative reviews for new background checks that do not reveal new crimes or negative actions.
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Integrate NCIC emergent placement background checks with administrative review process.
Emergent placement decisions occur within an hour of completing a federal name-based background check with applicants completing an in-state name and date-of-birth and fingerprints within 15 days. Current practice requires removal of children if either of these subsequent background checks reveal a crime that may relate directly to child safety. Integrating the review process prior to removal may allow placement to continue depending on the crime and availability of information at time of this initial review.
What does this mean for child welfare providers, relatives or suitable others?
Individuals will still complete background check applications. The DCYF background check team will complete in-state background checks, determine if the individual is conditionally approved for the purpose of the background check and notify the individual and requesting staff if approved. Applicants will continue to receive the fingerprint appointment forms and they will need to submit fingerprints when it is safe and resources are available.
What does it mean that DCYF will no longer perform secondary assessments on individuals?
DCYF caseworkers and contracts managers will no longer request criminal history from applicants who passed the background check and accept the background check decision as final. Other program vetting requirements will remain in place, except as noted above.
How will integrating NCIC emergent placement background checks with administrative reviews effect my placement process?
DCYF background check management staff will review the new background information with the goal of continuing placement if the information most likely does not relate directly to child safety. These decisions will consider the amount of time passed since conviction, seriousness of the crime and purpose of the background check.
Thank you for everything you are doing to keep children and youth safe and healthy during this difficult time.
For more information about DCYF’s response to the spread of COVID-19 visit https://www.dcyf.wa.gov/coronavirus-covid-19.
Please submit COVID-19 questions or concerns to dcyf.covid-19@dcyf.wa.gov.
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